Thought:†††††††††††††††††††† To examine the contrast between being fruitful or just being showy

I heard an old
saying once that goes something like this ďA barn that isnít dirty means that
there isnít any work getting done.Ē And, in contrast, while having a home that
is clean and desirable is a beautiful thing, have you ever been in a home that
was so immaculate that you were afraid to even be there due to thinking that
just by your presence you could be messing it up? †And, while fruit can be messy and
unattractive, it in the lives of those that confess Jesus as Lord, truly is
what brings the Father, Glory, Honor and Praise. So, while being immaculate (Definition of immaculate from; https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immaculate
is 1: having no stain
or blemish:purean immaculate heart) is quite a beautiful and desirable trait, just
being so can make the guest of such a place uncomfortable.

And, sometimes while even trees may take pride in being a
tree without the messiness of fruit to bother with, that fact is quite displeasing
to our Lord & King as noted here; Mat 21:18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city,
he hungered. Mat 21:19And
when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon,
but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee
henceforward for ever.And presently the fig tree withered away. He,
in the same way, feels that way concerning those that confess Him as Lord of
their lives as noted here; Joh 15:1I am the
true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.Joh 15:2Every
branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:
and everybranchthat beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.Joh 15:3Now ye are clean through the word
which I have spoken unto you.Joh 15:4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide
in me.Joh 15:5I am the vine, yearethe branches: He that abideth
in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can
do nothing.Joh 15:6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch,
and is withered; and men gather them, and casttheminto the
fire, and they are burned.

So, while the tree was given life freely without
having earned it, its purpose was to Ďbear fruití after having been given life
freely which it hadnít earned BUT, it needed to earn the fact that it had been
given life freely in the first place without any effort on its part. In the
same way, our Lord tends to make it clear that those in Him are there as a gift
without having Ďearnedí their salvation as shared here; Eph 2:8For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: Eph 2:9Not of works, lest any man should boast. And while noting that fact
is awesome and wonderful, thereís more to that gift than most take note of for
if we keep reading we find out why that gift is given in the first place as
noted here in the very next verse; Eph 2:10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The gift of life is free without ANY
effort on our part but only to receive it. BUT, the keeping of that life is NOT
free! For therein is the labor of the vines that exist in the Vine of our Lord & King to bear fruit and NOT to just exist to Ďlookí
pretty. The ONLY ones that I know of with the mental faculties to accept Jesus
as Lord before they breathe their last breath that donít need to bear any fruit
are those who canít because they are on their way out of this existence (on
their death beds as the thief on the cross next to Jesus). All others that have
the mental faculties to accept Jesus AND the means to walk in obedience to
reflect His attributes (His fruit) need to do so or are in danger of dying on
the Vine as noted in Joh 15:6If a man abide
not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them,
and casttheminto the fire, and they are burned.BUT, that
is one Truth that our Lord so clearly annotates in His Word that is seldom
preached from those who earnestly desire the financial gifts of those who give
to them to bring them the Word of the Lord each and every Sunday morning.

And,
hereís another instance, besides the fig tree that our Lord had cursed due to
being unfruitful, where there are those delighting in the fact that they were
given Life freely BUT hadnít realized the REASON they were given that Life
freely; Rev 3:17Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:So,
just like that fig tree that may have been standing there all tall and full of
leaves and life showing its pride of existence which was FREELY given to it BUT
had sadly not realized WHY it was given life, to bear fruit! In the same way,
those in Rev 3:17-21Because thou sayest, I am rich,
and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest
not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:Rev 3:18I counsel
thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest
be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed, andthatthe shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint
thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.Rev
3:19As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.Rev
3:20Behold, I stand at the door, and
knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and
will sup with him, and he with me.Rev
3:21To him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down
with my Father in his throne.

Oh
how I love a full coarse meal where the body feels like that Iíve given it NOT
just what tastes good but what IS good for it. For those called to give His
Word to His sheep, to be given ONLY that which tastes good (eternal life is
FREE and NOT earned) is awesome and wonderful BUT to not share WHY it was and
is given (to bear fruit) God will hold them accountable. 1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that
judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at
us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 1Pe
4:18And if the righteous scarcely be
saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 1Pe 4:19Wherefore
let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their
souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Oh
how the church needs those who will preach the WHOLE Word of God and not ONLY
that which tastes good! How Godís heart must ache for the millions of souls
being birthed into the Vine of His Son, only to see them die on the vine due to
NOT being given a whole and balanced diet of His Word! Sugar is sweet, but a
sugar diet alone will kill those not also being fed that which is good for them
and not just tastes good.

Heavenly
Father, thank You for the beauty of obedience to Your Word that produces a life
full of fruit to Your Glory, Honor, and Praise! Ever teach us to listen Ďintentlyí
to not ONLY what sounds good to us, but ALSO to what is good for us. For itís
in the Eternal, Glorious Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.